


Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia

by charlsiecf



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pokemon Ranger
Genre: Novelization, Pokemon - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-04
Updated: 2016-08-04
Packaged: 2018-07-29 06:18:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,396
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7673308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charlsiecf/pseuds/charlsiecf
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A Novelization of the Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia game.<br/>An aspiring young Pokemon Ranger decides to start her journey to becoming the greatest Ranger of all time.</p><p>“Draw loops around Pikachu and capture it"</p>
            </blockquote>





	Pokemon Ranger: Shadows of Almia

**Author's Note:**

> I've been working on this project on and off for about a year now.  
> This is basically a novelization of the Pokémon Ranger: Shadows of Almia game. This shows everything that happens in the game through the eyes of the main character with some added thoughts and detail.  
> This chapter is basically just the tutorial part of the game and it's already 7000+ words so let's see where it goes from there.

“Draw loops around Pikachu and capture it"

I took a deep breath as I clutched my styler, clunky and uncomfortable in my hand.

I'd never tried to capture a pokémon before, well, aside from all those times I pretended to be a top ranger when I was just a little kid. To be doing it in real life was both terrifying and exhilarating.

With a quick snap of my wrist, i whipped out the styler's glowing end and began drawing circles around the Pikachu.

Within a few seconds, the pokémon was surrounded by a glowing blue light, successfully captured. The Pikachu calmed down significantly as it felt the befriending effects of the styler kicking in. I exhaled as I lowered my styler-holding hand to my side, satisfied with my first real capture.

"Okay, good going. That's pretty impressive."

I looked up at the instructor who had been assessing me on my capture skills or lack thereof. He called the Pikachu over to him, to which it eagerly complied. 

He was pretty short, and seemed to be a little young to be an instructor, but maybe it was the blue beanie covering half his head that made that impression.

"Thank you," I responded, flashing him a smile, "not too bad for my first time, I'd say." I tried to act more confident that I was. I was still shaking like a leaf, hoping that I got into the school.

"Hehehe...My name, it is Kaplan. You are now a member of our secret army, the inscrutable Team School!"

I'd never hear anything about an army or a membership, I just thought it would be a pretty basic school, but I let Mr. Kaplan go on with his introduction since he seemed pretty excited about it.

"As proof of membership, you are given the School Styler you just used. Together, we shall rule the world..."

Okay. That was definitely a red flag. Just before I interjected, the door to the room opened behind me.

"Oh, please, Mr. Kaplan!" A woman's voice radiated from the doorway behind me.

A bit relieved, I turned around to see to whom the voice belonged. 

A sweet-looking woman walked in wearing a bright green blouse, clicking on her short white heels as she walked into the room, a patient, but slightly frustrated look on her face.

"Please don't tease my student with a silly performance like that." She spoke with a perfectly cheerful tone despite her frustrated demeanor. 

"Ahahaha, sorry, sorry. The timing was just too perfect to miss," he joked, scratching the back of his neck, giving himself another moment or two to laugh at his own tomfoolery.

"Ahem," he continued after he had composed himself, "Congratulations! You have passed the Ranger school's entrance exam with flying colors! That really was quite an impressive capture."

My heart seemed to burst with joy. An enthusiastic smile leapt upon my face as I realized what Mr. Kaplan had just told me. I was in! I could start living my childhood dream of becoming a pokémon ranger!

"Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!" i exclaimed, completely elated. I couldn't seem to stop smiling.

"Congratulations! You've been accepted." The woman in the green blouse came up to me, heels clicking along the way. She placed her hand softly on my shoulder. I turned to look at her smiling face, all frustration, long gone. "Starting today, you are officially a student of the Ranger School."

I took a deep breath. Hearing the news again just made it that much more exciting.

"I'm Ms. April. I'm your class teacher. I'm pleased to meet you." She held out her hand to me.

I gladly took her hand and shook it. "I'm Luna. It's so nice to meet you too. I'm honored to attend your class."

Ms. April smiled as she released my hand, folding hers in front of her. "Your classmates are waiting for you. I'll show you to our class."

As she walked toward the door, I followed her eagerly. I heard Mr. Kaplan calling from behind us. "Enjoy your school life!" 

I took a quick moment to smile back at him because I was sure I would. I knew that this was the start of something wonderful.

 

\------------

 

As Ms. April led me into the school, through the impressively large front doors, I gazed at the incredible sight that was the grand opening of the school. 

Above me, a great, shining chandelier dangled three stories above me from the lofted ceiling, the crystals reflecting onto every surface, filling the room with light. All of the details of the room were carved in a dark wood; wooden arches, columns, staircases, and handrails, all beautifully carved and constructed. 

I could only admire the mastery for a moment, however, because Ms. April, with her unwavering pace, ducked out of the grand foyer, and into the very first hallway she approached. Reluctantly, I followed, quickening my pace in order to catch up.

Before too long, she halted, nearly causing me to crash into her. On my right was a room, with the door slightly ajar. I heard the sounds of laughing and chattering from inside.

“This is our class. Wait here until I introduce you,” Ms. April muttered before entering the classroom. 

I stood on the other side of the door, remaining out of sight, straining to hear what was going on inside the room. The chattering sounds subsided as I heard chairs scraping against the floor. I imagined the students were taking their seats. Soon, the only thing to be heard was Ms April’s voice. 

“Sorry to keep you waiting class. And good morning, everyone!”

Suddenly everyone’s voices emitted an enthusiastic “Good morning!”

“As I mentioned yesterday,” Ms. April continued, “we have a new member for our class.”

The chattering of students erupted from the room. Every student was asking questions, discussing, all at the same time. 

I only caught a couple questions. 

“Is it a guy? Or a girl?” 

“Which is it?”

“Is the new student cute? 

“Cool?”

“Or look like a celebrity?”

“Okay, that’s enough!” Ms. April shouted. Clearing her throat she continued to speak with her calm, sweet tone of voice. “You can see for yourself.”

Wow, had my knees been knocking together this much before? Or was I just buckling under the pressure? I had to keep it together and make a good impression.

“Here’s our latest classmate! Come on in!”

This was my cue. I began to push on the door, opening it all the way, revealing myself to my anxiously awaiting classmates. Taking a deep breath, I displayed a confident smile upon my face as I observed the class. 

It looked like a fairly standard classroom to me. A blackboard in the back, rows of chairs filled with students and desks filled with books. 

I was so busy eyeing the room, I almost didn’t notice Ms. April beckoning me to the front of the class. I hurried my way to the front towards her, trying to hide my nervousness of meeting everyone.

After I turned to face the class, Ms. April motioned toward me as she began to speak. “Our new friend came alone to our Almia region to become a Pokemon Ranger.” She stuttered for a moment “Oh, yes. You should introduce yourself to our class rather than me. Let’s start with your name.”

I gulped before putting on my bravest face and speaking with my bravest tone of voice. “Hi everyone. I’m Luna. I’m very excited to start attending the Ranger School and to learn how to become the best Pokemon ranger I can be.” Heh. Not half bad.

Ms. April smiled at the class. “Okay. Let’s make Luna feel welcome. I understand that she scored quite well on our entrance exam.”

Only then did I realize that there wasn’t a sour face in the class. Every student was smiling up at me, ready to welcome me to their family and their school...but…one boy in particular had a different kind of smile.

Ms. April let out an audible sigh as she turned her head to look at the redheaded boy with a shit-eating grin spread out widely on his face. “...What is it, Keith? Why the big grin?”

He didn’t respond, he merely wiped the grin off his face as he looked aimlessly around the room, as if he had no idea what his teacher was talking about.

Letting out another sigh as she slowly shook her head, she once again turned to me. Smiling, she spoke to me in that kind way of hers. “Anyway, we had better get you seated somewhere, Luna.”

I scanned the classroom, but the only empty seat was...

"You can have the seat next to Keith."

With a moment's hesitation, I moved away from the head of the classroom and took my newly assigned seat.

"Okay, that will do." Once Ms April had gotten the attention of everyone in the class, she began to speak with a tone of seriousness and motivation. "That's it for treating you like a new transfer student. From now on, you're all my students, people whom i can take pride in teaching. Let's do it, everyone...Let's not fail your dreams of becoming Rangers, Operators, and Mechanics!"

The class erupted in a unanimous "YEAH!"

She gave all of us a sweet, satisfied smile. "Okay, I'll change the class schedule specifically for today. This will be a free-study class."

She began to make her way toward the exit of the room when she stopped at my desk, putting a hand on my shoulder. "But before I go, Luna, I need to explain something to you."

"Yes?" I asked, looking up at her from my seat. 

"It's about the school styler you were provided before the entrance exam."

"Wha-what about it?"

"It's a simplified version of a Ranger's official Capture Styler. Now, put simply, a styler is a device used for befriending and capturing Pokémon. By drawing loops around Pokémon, it conveys the Ranger's feelings of friendship to the Pokémon. When the friendship is fully conveyed, the Pokemon is captured."

She then raised her voice, speaking to all the students in the room, "Everyone, you should all be paying attention to this as a review."

She then gave me a few helpful tips on how to effectively use the new styler that I had acquired.

Ms. April interrupted her lecture with a glare toward the redheadded boy. "Oh, please, Keith. Don't yawn with your mouth wide open like that."

With a sigh, she continued her lecture. Within a few minutes, I was considering taking Keith's lead. 

After she had finished her explanation, Ms. April turned to me with a sympathetic look. "Oh, that turned out to be quite the lecture. Are you feeling overwhelmed? Well, I'm sure you can handle it. After all, nothing beats experience."

She turned to a student with neat, blond curls. "Rhythmi, can I get you to show Luna around the school please?"

The girl, Rhythmi gave a wide, genuine smile right back at the teacher as she leapt from her chair to stand up straight.

"I sure will!"

Ms. April nodded, content with the situation. "I'll be in the staff room. I'll leave you to it."

And with that, she exited the room. 

Almost immediately, I was surrounded by my classmates. All of them talking at once, some to me, and some to each other. With all the voices surrounding me, I couldn’t understand a single thing that was being said. Until the redheaded boy spoke up louder than all the rest. 

“Hey, new kid,” the rest of the class seemed to quiet down at the sound of Keith’s loud, boisterous voice. “I forgot your name, but how long did it take you to capture Pikachu? Like an hour?”

I raised an eyebrow at him and opened my mouth to give him a retort -one that I hadn’t quite come up with yet- before I heard a lighthearted giggle from behind me. 

I turned my head to see a brown eyed girl, Rhythmi I think was her name giggling into her hand. She had platinum blonde hair in neat pin curls on the back of her head. 

When she caught my gaze, she stopped giggling, but continued to smile. “Keith’s just a show-off. You’re better off just ignoring him.”

Glancing at Keith, I caught a glimpse of his sour look toward Rhythmi. I gave her a small laugh in response as I turned completely around to face her. 

“Instead,” she continued, “you should be paying attention to me.” 

At that point, many of the other students had wandered off, talking amongst themselves elsewhere in the room, leaving me, the blonde girl and the redheaded boy.

The brown-eyed girl continued her introduction. “Hi. I’m Rhythmi. I’m not here to become a Ranger. I want to become an Operator instead. So when Keith becomes a Ranger, I can order him around like my servant!” That comment earned a laugh from me and a raised eyebrow from Keith. “Just joking!”

Due to how rude she was to Keith, I figured they had been friends for a very long time. I hoped that I could make friends that were that close.

“All right,” The blonde pulled me out of my train of thought. “Let me take you on a tour of the Ranger School.”

“Sounds good to me,” I responded with enthusiasm.

“Perfect! Let’s begin with our own classroom.” She motioned to the door of the classroom. “You’ve already met our teacher, Ms. April. She’s really nice, but if you make her mad...Look out.”

I was beginning to get that impression from her already throughout the day. I hope I would never have to bring out her bad side.

“There’s another class next to us. The teacher there is Mr. Kincaid. He’s very uptight and strict. ‘No running in the hallway’ is like, his pet saying.”

That brought out another chuckle from me, but I didn’t have much time for laughter, because Rhythmi had already taken my hand and began to drag me out the door of the class. “Okay! Let’s move on. We’ll explore the School building!”

 

\------------

 

The blonde girl pulled me out of the classroom and practically dragged me through the hallway and across the magnificent grand foyer into the next hallway. (What was with these people and their rushing?)

Finally, she began to slow down in front of yet another door. She let go of my hand to knock on the door placing her ear very closely.

“Come in,” came a quiet-sounding voice. 

Rhythmi opened the door and motioned with her head to get me to follow.

Entering the room, I felt a wave of Deja Vu. The room was arranged exactly like Ms. April’s. From the arrangement of the desks, to the posters of the wall, to the information on the chalkboard. The only difference was the teacher standing at the head of the classroom.

He seemed a bit older than Ms. April, but that may have been due to the manner of his dress. He wore a red sweater-vest on top of a yellow collared shirt. These were accompanied by formal slacks and dress shoes.

But what really made him stand out was his hair. So golden blond that it couldn’t possibly be natural, set in a gravity-defying curl atop his head. This was a man that couldn’t be missed.

“Sorry to disturb you,” said Rhythmi who had escorted me here to the instructor, “I’m taking our new classmate on a tour of the School.”

“Hi” I said to the teacher, with a short wave, which he acknowledged with a nod.

Rhythmi then directed her words to me. “This is the other class. The man looking this way is Mr. Kincaid. He gets his hair to go that way with a ton of hair spray. He’s a little too uptight, I think. I’m not a big fan”

Wow. We were mere feet from the man. I really hoped he didn’t hear that. I gave her a nervous giggle, glancing back to Mr. Kincaid, who thankfully didn’t seem to notice the comment.

“You must be the new student in the other class,” said Mr. Kincaid. “There’s one rule that I would like you to honor and uphold while you’re in School. Don’t run in the hallways.”  
This rule was pretty understandable. With hallways that beautiful, I wouldn’t want anyone running in it either.

“Oh, there is another rule,” Mr. Kincaid continued. “Don’t cast suspicion on others without proof. These two rules are truly important.”

That seemed a little bit specific, but decent advice all the same. He then turned around and continued teaching his class.

No sooner had I looked back at Rhythmi, than she grabbed my hand again and pulled me out of the room, closing the door behind her.

This time, when she pulled me out of the hallway and into the grand entrance, she went further into it, running over a gorgeous crest carved into the floor. I recognized it as the crest used by all Pokemon Ranger organizations.

But once again, I wasn’t allowed to get a good look at it, because I was being rushed around by a certain brown-eyed girl. 

She pulled me up a small set of stairs until we reached a crossroads. Two doors met us. One led to a flight of stairs going down, the other to a flight going up.

The blonde released me and pointed to the door leading downstairs. “Mr. Kincaid’s lab is down there, but we’re not allowed down there without permission.”

“Have you ever been down there?” 

“Hm,” She looked up with a mischievous smirk, as if recalling a funny memory. “Once or twice.” 

Before I could question her further, she rushed up the stairs in the other door. Rolling my eyes, I followed her. 

As I reached the top of the flight, Rhythmi began another introduction. 

“Our dorms are on the higher floors. This is where we bunk down, coed style. Not in the same bedrooms, of course. The boys’ bedroom is on the right, the girls’ bedroom is on the right.”

Then she pointed to a woman that I hadn’t noticed initially. She was quietly sweeping an area surrounded by couches that I could only assume was the lounging area. She was wearing a very simple red dress embellished with an apron. Her chestnut hair pulled back in a neat bun.

“Janice, the lady there, is our caretaker. She’s like a mom to us all.”

She noticed our gaze and looked up from her work to give us a sweet smile and a wave, which the blonde returned earnestly.

She then turned on her heel and ran back downstairs. Understanding the routine at this point, I simply jogged to keep up with her so there would be no need for her to drag me once again.

She went down all the steps back to the foyer and turned into another door with me following her steps.

The room we stepped into was a bit smaller than the others. Including a large table with many chairs surrounding it. The back of the room held a row of filing cabinets. I was pretty sure I knew what this room was.

“Here’s the staff room.” Yup I was spot on. “But usually, only our principal is here.” Rhythmi pointed to the gray haired, impressive looking man standing in the center back of the room, in front of the ranger crest. “Our principal is Mr. Lamont. His eyes are always twinkling happily behind his glasses. I like him pretty well.”

He acknowledged me with a nod and a smile before giving me some sound advice in a surprisingly cheerful tone. “Play a lot. Study a lot. And capture a lot. I hope you do all this to make your school life a fun and fulfilling one.”

“Thank you so much Mr. Lamont,” I said. Taking a second look, I could see that playful spirit in his eyes. He smiled at me before I could tell just from him that he would ensure that I had fun here.

This time, when Rhythmi reached for my hand, I was one step ahead of her. I grabbed hers and ran out of the room dragging her giggling self along the way. 

I knew there was only one room left to explore. I headed to the other end of the foyer and into the last room.

Opening the door, it was quite obvious where we were. It was an enormous room with shelf upon shelf filled entirely with hundreds, maybe even thousands of books. Scattered around the room there were tables covered in papers and books. Clearly, this was a library.

“This is the Library” explained Rhythmil.

“Yeah, I gathered that for myself, thanks,” I replied in a joking tone

“Ha. Yeah, I guess you could,” she laughed. “It’s also known as Keith’s nap room.” 

We shared a laugh before she continued. “That boy in the back with a haircut like a mushroom is Isaac.” She motioned to a blond boy at the back of the library intensely studying a particular book. “He’s awesomely smart. You can usually find him right here in the library. Sometimes, he goes off somewhere, though.”

“Hm. That seems odd,” I thought aloud. A kid that disappears enough for people to notice. There’s something weird about that.

“Nah,” responded Rhythmi, “He’s harmless. A real rule follower. Wanna meet him?”

“Sure.”

We ran to the back of the library. “Hi Isaac,” the blonde girl said cheerfully. I’d like to introduce you to Luna!”

The boy huffed with slight irritation. “I was calculating a complex eight digit multiplication when you interrupted me.” He closed his eyes and took a calming breath. “But it’s fine.” He then switched to a perfectly lighthearted grin. I’m Isaac. My IQ and height in centimeters are both 163. Mr. Kincaid gave me permission to study on my own and not attend class. You should get into reading, too.” He turned back to the library stacks, and away from us.

This guy seemed a bit stuck up, but bearable all around.

“Okay Luna,” Rhythmi said, as she strolled toward the library’s exit. “That’s just about everything you need to know about the inside of the Ranger School.”

As we exited the library, a loud, low ringing sounded in the entire building.

“There goes the bell. Perfect timing,” Rhythmi said with a wide smile. “We can go outside now and continue the tour!”

We jogged to the grand entrance side-by-side, opening the doors together, letting in the sunlight. Blinking, we stepped through.

 

\------------

 

“Whoo!” Rhythmi said squinting and holding her hand up so shade her eyes. “It is really sunny today. Must be to wish you luck.” She then elbowed me in the arm with a joking smile on her face. 

“Anyway,” she continued, “That small building is the Training Room. That’s where Mr. Kaplan will teach you about performing captures. Ms. Claire is also there. She teaches about clearing targets.”

I recognized the building that she was pointing to as the one I took my entrance exam in. I had a feeling that training with Mr. Kaplan and Ms. Claire would continue to be an entertaining experience.

“That big clearing over there is where we practice target clears.” Rhythmi explained, pointing to the other end of the courtyard.

A puzzled, perhaps thoughtful expression passed upon her face. “That reminds me…” She turned to me as she spoke. “Do you know about clearing targets?”

“Um… kinda?” I responded, squinting with a forced smile.

She gave that a short chuckle. “Your expression tells me you don’t know.” I shrugged in defeat. “Well, that’s all right. That’s why we have the training room. C’mon!” She began skipping ahead of me towards the training room, hair bouncing behind her. I lightly jogged to keep up with her.

When we reached the training center, she pushed the doors open with no restraint and called loudly “Mr. Kaplan and Ms. Claire! Can you give us special lessons please?” Her shouting seemed like a bit much due to the fact that the overall-clad instructors were simply a few feet away from us. 

“hehehe…” giggled Mr. Kaplan as we approached. “Welcome to the inscrutable Team School’s secret hideout.”

Ah, so he’s up to that bit again.

Ms. Claire walked toward us, shaking her head and rolling her eyes with a smile. “Yes, yes, we’ve heard that before.” She stopped directly in front of us, seeming to ignore Mr. Kaplan. “Let’s pay no attention to Mr. Kaplan and his make-believe conspiracy.

Suddenly Mr. Kaplan’s expression changed to one that I can only described as the face of a puppy. “Oh! Please don’t ignore me! I’ll be serious and introduce myself.” He then straightened his back and gave us a friendly, though slightly uneasy expression. “Um. My name is Mr. Kaplan. I teach the fundamentals of capture.”

Ms. Claire gave Mr. Kaplan an amused smile before once again turning to us. “And I’m Ms. Claire. Glad to meet you. It’s my job to teach you about performing target clears.”

Rhythmi tapped me on the shoulder to regain my attention. “I know you had to do a capture for your entrance exam, but… I think you should learn about capturing properly once more. Mr. Kaplan,” she called to the instructor, “can you give Luna a lesson on capturing please?”

“That’s an admirable attitude,” said Mr. Kaplan. “Okay. I’ll give you a special lesson: the fundamentals of capture.” 

He let out a loud whistle, calling forth a Bidoof and a Pichu who promptly began to run around wildly and without control. I slid my styler out of my pocket and into my hand, prepared for a capture.

“Let’s start with the basics of capture,” said Mr. Kaplan with a sudden serious undertone to his voice. “Press that button near your thumb to activate the styler.” I did as I was told and a glowing blue antenna extended out of the top of the device. 

“Perfect! Now point it onto the ground.” These movements felt very awkward with this clunky device, but I did as he instructed. Pointing the antenna toward the ground, the image of a shining blue disk appeared. “Fantastic!" said Mr. Kaplan. Now I want you to "draw" a line on the ground using the capture disk.

I moved the styler in my hand so that the antenna pointed to where I wanted the disk to go. The hologram moved exactly where I pointed to with no delay, leaving a bright blue tail behind it.

"Now try drawing a loop."

This part I knew. 

I drew a loop with my styler and when the disk touched the blue tail, the entirety of the tail disappeared.

“Good!” said Mr. Kaplan with enthusiasm. “Now draw loops around the targeted Pokemon.”

I nodded and attempted to draw a loop around the Bidoof. I carefully navigated the disk until it had formed a complete circle, encompassing the Pokemon.

“Nice job! As loops are drawn, the Ranger’s feelings of friendship are conveyed to the Pokemon. When you complete a certain number of loops, the capture is a success!”

I took a deep breath and continued to draw loops around the Bidoof. When I had gotten to ten loops, the Pokemon had calmed down significantly and dashed to my side.

“Well done!” The encouragement from Mr. Kaplan was really helping with my morale. “Now I’m going to have you do something else. Draw three loops around that Pichu and then stop.”

I found this strange, but I didn’t question his teaching methods. I proceeded to draw a few loops. It was getting easier and easier each time. After the loops, the frantic Pichu did seem to be less frantic than it was before. However, when I lowered my styler and watched the Pokemon, it soon continued its panicked scramble.

“The target Pokemon doesn’t retain the Ranger’s feelings of friendship. If the capture isn’t completed, those feelings go away over time.” Mr. Kaplan was clearly very knowledgeable about these subjects. “Now, let me explain about the Capture Styler Energy. Look at your styler’s screen.”

I glanced at the top of the styler where the screen was illuminated.

“At the bottom of the screen is the Styler Energy Gauge.”

Sure enough, as I looked at the bottom of the styler screen, there was a gauge. “I see it.”

“Good. If the Capture Disk or Capture Line is hit by a Pokemon’s attack, the Styler Energy is reduced,” he explained. It seemed sort of like a video game’s HP. “Now it looks like Pichu is about to use its attack move, so now draw some loops, but if Pichu attacks, allow yourself to get hit. I want to show you what this’ll look like.”

I nodded and complied. Slowly, I drew some loops as Pichu seemed to spark more and more with electricity. Suddenly, it shot a thundershock from its cheeks. Small bolts of thunder flew in all directions, but per my request, I allowed my styler disk to get hit. 

I felt a strong, quick buzzing come from my styler in my hand. The surprise almost made me drop it, but luckily, I held strong.”

“Okay. Look at your gauge now.”

I checked my styler’s screen and I saw that my styler energy had dropped.

“If the styler runs out of energy, there’s nothing you can do about it,” explained Mr. Kaplan. “It’s what you call ‘game over.’”

Ms. Claire nudged him. “Don’t scare her!” she chided. “That makes it sound like she’s gonna die.” 

Mr. Kaplan smiled and put his hands up. “Okay, okay. It won’t be ‘game over,’ but it is still dangerous.” he returned to his serious teaching tone. “You won’t be able to capture any more Pokemon so you’ll need to get to shelter right away. Got it?”

“Got it!” I repeated.

“Good.”

“So if your styler is low on energy, it’s not a bad idea to abandon the capture and flee the scene.”

I nodded strongly.

“Well,” Mr Kaplan smiled. “That about does it for the basics of a Pokemon Capture. If you need a refresher lesson, don’t hesitate to come see me.” He then whistled, calling off both the Bidoof and the Pichu as I disengaged my styler.

“Thank you, Mr. Kaplan!” spoke up Rhythmi. I was so concentrated, I had nearly forgotten she was there.

“Oh-Oh. Yes! Thank you so much!” I bowed my head in appreciation.

“Anytime!” He responded with a goofy smile across his face.

Rhythmi turned back to me. “Next you’ll finally learn what we mean by ‘Target Clear!’”

My brain was beginning to hurt from all of this new information, but I didn’t want to disappoint Rhythmi or anyone else so I nodded in agreement.

She nodded back and then turned to the teachers. “Ms. Claire, please give Luna a lesson about performing a Target Clear.”

Ms. Claire turned to me with a stance that was almost militaristic. “Very well. This will be a special lesson. You’ll learn about the basics of performing a Target Clear.” She turned to Mr. Kaplan and gave him a nod. He returned the gesture and then disappeared into the back room. Clearly they had done this routine before. 

Without too much delay, he returned hauling a large, wooden crate, closely followed by the Bidoof that I had captured just moments ago.

I redirected my attention back toward my teacher. Ms. Claire straightened her back as she began her lesson. “First, point your styler at this crate and look at your screen.”

I nodded and followed the instructions. On the screen, a brand new icon appeared.

“On your screen, the Field Move needed to clear it is indicated. This crate needs the Field Move Crush to clear. Do you see the number ‘1’ beside ‘Crush?’ that indicates the required level of power.”

“Okay. I understand. What’s next?” I asked.

“A Pokemon that has the Field Move Crush, and with a power rating of ‘1.’” She continued. “That Pokemon would be Bidoof, for example.” She then pointed to the Bidoof by her heel. “Here we have the Bidoof that you captured earlier. Point your styler at the Bidoof.”

I followed orders. When the styler was pointed at the Bidoof, the styler’s screen lit up with a picture of the Pokemon, and an icon matching the one that appeared when I pointed at the crate.

“The screen shows that Bidoof’s Field Move is Crush, and it’s power is ‘1.’” Ms. Claire explained. “Now. Tell the Bidoof to use Crush”

“Okay.” I said. I then turned to the Bidoof. “Bidoof! Use Crush!” I shouted a little more than I think I needed to, but the Pokemon seemed to get the picture. It then walked its way over to the crate, squared its shoulders, and launched itself towards the crate in a mighty headbutt. I was surprised at the strength of this small creature because as it collided, the crate splintered into pieces. 

After tearing its way through the crate, the Bidoof gave one last look of pride before running away, out of the room. 

Confused, I looked towards Ms. Claire who noticed my confusion and addressed it quickly. “When the target is cleared, the helping pokemon runs off. It will return to wherever it was originally captured. You must match the Field Move to the target; Crush won’t always work. When you see a target, you always need to confirm what field move to use. That’s how a Target Clear works. If you would like a review, please come see me whenever you like.”

Okay. Those lessons were fairly straightforward. I felt like I had a good handle on both capturing and target clears, but it was reassuring knowing that I could always come back to Mr. Kaplan and Ms. Claire if I ever needed a refresher.

“Thank you so much, Ms. Claire!” said both Rhythmi and I simultaneously before giggling.

“Well,” Rhythmi turned to me, “now you know about captures and how to do a Target Clear! You’re all set!” She smiled at me excitedly, a smile which I returned in kind. “Let’s go back to the school yard. There’s another place I want you to see.” She then dashed away, out the door with me in close pursuit.

“Thanks again!” I called back to the teachers as I exited the building. I saw them wave back in the corner of my eye.

But when we exited the building, Rhythmi stopped suddenly, causing me to run straight into her and nearly knock her over.

“Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear!” I heard a woman’s voice exclaim. “Help, someone! Anyone! Catch the Bidoof for me!” 

We turned towards the source of the ruckus to see a woman surrounded by many Bidoof, frantically calling out.

“J-Janice?!” Rhythmi seemed nearly as distressed as the woman was. “She’s having trouble with the Bidoof!” Rhythmi then turned to me with panic in her eyes. “Please, Luna! Capture the Bidoof and get them to settle down!”

For a moment, I stood in shock. I had only just learned about captures and now I was being thrown right into the fray. But before I had time to gather my thoughts, I heard yet another voice.

“Heh, I was wondering what the ruckus was all about. Looks like a good time that’s up for grabs!”

This voice and attitude were unmistakable, so I wasn’t at all surprised when we saw Keith running towards us.

“Keith!” Rhythmi shouted. “Don’t just stand there! You help with captures, too!”

Even with the idea of Keith’s help, I was still very scared of the task at hand.

“It won’t be much fun if I just help.” Keith said with his usual smirk. “Hey, new kid! I forgot your name, but I challenge you! We’ll have a capture race, you and me!”

“What?” I asked in confusion. “What’s a capture race?”

“We’ll see who can capture the most Bidoof, all right?” said Keith.

Rhythmi spoke up. “Can’t you make an effort to learn our classmate’s name? You can be so annoying, Keith! Go ahead and have your silly race or whatever, but hurry up!”

“What do you say, new kid?” asked Keith, ignoring Rhythmi entirely.

My fear seemed to drain out of my body as I considered this proposed challenge. While the task was still daunting, I wanted to knock this kid down a peg and suddenly those feelings were more strong than my feelings of fear. “Okay, I’m in!”

“Okay, let’s get on with it!” Said Keith with an even wider smile. I could tell he was serious about this challenge, but I wasn’t going to let him win. 

“Three!” 

I retrieved my styler.

“Two!”

I put my thumb on the button, ready to strike.

“One!”

I got into running position.

“Start!”

I took off. I was running as fast as I could to catch the first Bidoof. It was running at a much higher speed than I was expecting, but by taking some clever twists and turns, I caught up to it. Styler in hand, I quickly drew loops around the Pokemon and captured it. This was getting much easier. 

With adrenaline flowing through my veigns, I dashed towards the next Bidoof with my newly captured one following close behind me. I was so in the zone, I managed to capture two at the same time. My total was now up to three.

I glanced at Keith as he ran around the courtyard. He, too, had three Bidoof running at his side. I looked around the courtyard. There were still three left to capture, and I was going to capture them. 

Without wasting any more time, I chased after the Bidoof closest to me. Unfortunately, it was even faster than the other ones and it raced across the grass with amazing speed. I took some deep breaths and started to sprint after the creature, hopeful that that would be enough to cach it. Luckily enough, my sprint was just faster than the Bidoof’s and by the time I reached the far corner of the courtyard, I had caught up to the Pokemon. Using my styler, I quickly drew lines around it and captured it with ease. 

I turned to find the other two remaining Bidoof, but all I saw was Keith standing right in the middle, with five Bidoof by his side. I knew I had lost. 

Disheartedly, I led my four Bidoof to the center of the courtyard to meet Keith and his five, dragging my feet along the way. He had the biggest smirk on his face that made me feel unjustifiably angry, but I held it together.

Rhytmi soon joined us and said, “That’s all the Bidoof now.” she had a smile that made me fell a little bit better about losing.

Unfortunately that feeling went away as quick as it had appeared when Keith proudly proclaimed “I caught five! That means you caught… Uh… four.”

“I can count you know.” I said, somewhat peeved. 

“That means…” he continued as if I had not spoken, “Victory is mine!” He then did a backflip and striked a pose upon landing. That seemed unnessesary. 

“You and Keith looked good at it, too!” Janice said as she joined us. “Of course, I also need to thank our new friend and Rhythmi, too. Thank you for all this. This is a big relief for me.”

I then realised that it didn’t really matter if I didn’t beat Keith. What we did was help the school and Janice, and even though I didn’t emerge victorious, I still did my part in helping.

“And to the leader Bidoof…” said Janice to one of the Bidoof on my team, the fast one that was the last one I caught, “I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean to tread on your tail. I’ll make it up to you with tastier treats than usual.”

So that’s why they were all so riled up. It all made sense now. I didn’t blame Janice, of course. That kind of accident could happen to anyone.

“Come along, everyone.” she said before leading all of the captured bidoof away.

Now all that remained was Keith, Rhythmi, and me. Though I felt better about losing, Keith’s face still remained in its punchable smirk and it felt even more punchable when he opened his mouth to speak.

“I’d rate your captures around 65 out of 100.” 

Punching instinct was at maximum. I considered asking Rhytmi to hold me back.

“...Hey, but you know…” he continued as I glared, “I’ll be honest: I was pretty surprised by how you did.” I stopped for a moment. Did he just say what I thought he said? His face softened to a look of genuine admiration. “You might be decent for someone who just learned about this.”

I was shocked. He was actually being something other than a self-obsessed jerk. “Th-Thank you.” I stammered, still not sure if this was a trick or not.

“You said your name was Luna, right?” he asked.

Rhythmi smiled as she slowly shook her head. “Oh, you, Keith! You knew our friend’s name all along! For goodness’ sake…”

She called me her friend. My heart swelled with joy as I realized that on my very first day of Ranger School, not only did I get in, I had already made two friends. 

“Oh! That’s right!” Rhythmi’s exclamation pulled me away from my thoughts. “There’s somewhere I haven’t shown you yet!”

“Oh yeah!” I said “We were going somewhere before the whole Bidoof fiasco weren’t we?” Rhythmi nodded in response.

“Wait, you mean Ascension Square?” Keith chimed in.

“Yes!” said Rhythmi with a beaming grin.

“Then I’ll go, too.” said Keith.

Rhythmi rolled her eyes. “Oh, all right. I guess we’ll let you come with us.” She then turned to me and said “Follow me!”

Rhythmi and Keith both started running side-by-side with me keeping up closely behind them. The three of us descended down a set of stairs before arriving at another grassy area just south of the courtyard. The two stopped just after reaching the bottom and touching the grass.

“This is the Ascension Square.” Rhythmi said with a flourish. “Next month, there’s going to be a special class here. It’s the Outdoor Class,” she continued. “That monument there is called the Pledge Stone.” 

She pointed to the large, stone statue sitting in the very middle of the square. Its base was a solid block of grey stone that was big enough to walk on. It even had a small set of stairs to enable exactly that. Atop the base was an abstract statue that reminded me quite a bit of the symbol that I had seen on the floor of the grand foyer of the School. It was simple, but beautiful. 

The three students walked together to stand right in front of the monument. Still gazing at it, Rhythmi spoke. “If you make a firm pledge to each other with your friends here, it will surely come true...That’s what Principal Lamont told me.” I took a quick look at her face. Her eyes were wide with hope and wonder and it made me believe in this monument too.

Rhythmi shook her head slightly and turned back to me. “And there you have it! That concludes Rhythmi’s School Tour of Wonder and Excitement!” She then took my hands into hers. “Luna! I’m glad to have met you! I hope we can be friends for a long time!”

“Hey, hold it now!” interrupted Keith, ruining the moment. “Don’t worry about Rhythmi. Be friends with me, okay?” He then pried one of Rhythmi’s hands from mine and joined in the circle, holding each of our hands. Rhythmi and I giggled as a result.

Suddenly, I heard a loud, ringing bell back in the direction of the school.

“Oh, there goes the bell. We’d better get back to class,” said Rhythmi seeming somewhat sad that this moment has to end. I didn’t blame her. “But, boy, oh boy, Keith…” she said perking right back up. “Aren’t you the slick one!”

The three of us finally dropped our hands and ran back to the school, hoping not to be late and incur the wrath of Ms. April.

**Author's Note:**

> I selected the female choice and the name "Luna" solely because that's what I always choose when I play the game ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


End file.
